1969 Diecast/ K0 restoration

[Bowswell]

I found this for you Pete.
http://www.satanicmechanic.org/pridrive.shtml

[UK Pete]

Thanks for that Bowswell, luckily i have still got the cases apart so i can do that , anything the late great Axl recommends is usually well researched and worth doing
Pete

[mcrider]

Thanks for that Bowswell, luckily i have still got the cases apart so i can do that , anything the late great Axl recommends is usually well researched and worth doing
Pete

Granted, and with all due respect to Axl, RIP.

However, regardless of source, I always recoil a bit when I'm told to do something someway with no reason for it, especially when we have eyewitness accounts that the factory did not do it that way.

Practically, it probably doesn't matter a whit for all the miles most of us will put on a restored engine.

I should say to complete the post, that i have seen pictures of (supposedly) virgin engines being disaassembled on SOHC4.net, where the chains are both aligned on some and staggerred on others indicating to me the factory didn't care.

[UK Pete]

Fork lowers now polished, i stripped the laquer which appeared to be etched in to the ally, quite difficult to remove, non of the usual strippers seemed to work, anyway once i got it all off i polished up the aluminium and i will stop it oxidising by wiping over with ACF50, this also takes off some of the gloss and so will make it quite similar to the original, i still cant make up my mind wether to buy new chrome fork tubes or use the originals,

[UK Pete]

a little bit of progress, i installed taper roller bearings on the steering stem and re- fixed the aluminium date plate using new rivets, but best of all look what father chrismas got me, a nice new set of rear shocks, i can't believe how much David silver charges for these shocks, they are one hundred and ninety nine pounds each plus 20% VAT plus six pound delivery total just short of 500 pounds, fecking daylight robbery
needless to say i bought them elswhere much cheaper, in fact a good percentage of the parts i buy now come from USA or Germany as they are cheaper than our Usual UK suppliers

[kp]

Get your original springs re-chromed and replace the newer type as the K0 springs are different to the later production type

[Riccardo]

Get your original springs re-chromed and replace the newer type as the K0 springs are different to the later production type

I want say that the new production tipe, during the ride, are very noise.
I returned 2 sets to DSS but the problems remains the same.
Riccardo

[UK Pete]

Kp nice bit of info on the springs, i did not notice as i had not bothered comparing, i am glad i did not get rid of them, at least i now have the option to keep as near to the original as possible

Here are my originals, i see that the coils are tighter /closer together than the replacements





And the new ones,
 


Riccardo, what sort of noise do your shocks make, is it intermitent or is there noise every time they compress
Pete

[vnz00]

hi Pete, if I can make a suggestion - your original shocks are in nice condition.  If you remove and simply clean up the spring, is the chrome good enough to stand up to fresh chrome?  once rechromed, you lose the satin finish the surface has.

I'd suggest the noise they make is as they compress, they make a squishing sound which is common to gas shocks/struts.

Regards
Steven.

[UK Pete]

I am getting my bodywork ready to go to the painters, i had previously stripped the paint off the top of my tank but stopped short of doing the underside, its one of those horrible jobs but i got stuck in and stripped it bare,  it had to be done as i needed to see that it was not rusting,  alot of painters would just blow over the bottom without any prep, 
In the process of stripping it i revealed a date code on the tank, it looks to me to be 1 / 10 /69, so thats another one to add to my date codes on this build,
I am still in two minds whether to use the LPM side panels i have already bought or buy the ones with the mire mesh tabs from z1900, Also i need to get some new fork ears, i  cant believe reproduction ones are so costly, anyone have any suggestions where to buy fork ears ?
Pete

[UK Pete]

I have bought some tank decals from ebay Germany, they look real nice, but the problem is you have to cut them form the vinyl sheet,do i use a scapel or scissors, has anyone else used these or am i wasting my time,  what are other people using when repainting there tanks?
These are the ones i bought the listing does not state you have to cut them out yourself
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fuel-Tank-Decal-Stripe-Kit-Black-Gold-Honda-CB750-SOHC-K0-K1-K2-Screen-Print-/160992000907?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Parts&hash=item257bdefb8b

pete

[steff750]

  you could try soaking them in hot water they might be transfers.
 i bought mine from silvers i think and they are already cut to shape, not even sure if they are transfers it was that long  ago ive yet to use them as i have put them somewhere safe  i will find them one day

[UK Pete]

I just noticed dave silvers has started selling the gold ones, before he only listed the black , i might email him to see if his are already cut,  i cant be the only one on this forum who has had to get a paint job done with new decals, although saying that i am sure i read somewhere the tanks up until 1971 had the tank striping hand painted,

pete

[kp]

Yep, the K0 are hand painted, sunny gold I think but others can confirm the color. I opt for hand paint myself but there are several sources of pre-made stripes. I've not seen ones that aren't pre-cut such as the ones you have KP

[steff750]

Yep, the K0 are hand painted,

  yes just confirming what  KP has said, the K0 tank stripes was definitely hand painted ,come to think of it I might not have had mine from silvers ,but I did get them off eBay a long time ago, so it was probably from the states, not even sure about that now